Has work affected your health?

Jun 29, 2015

Last updated Feb 24, 2019

Most people throughout their lifetime spend a large proportion of their time at work. It is known that the tasks, environment and substances involved can lead to health problems – either whilst working or into retirement.

UK Biobank is inviting participants to take part in an online survey about their working lives. This questionnaire will help scientists to research the affect working hours and chemicals in the work place may have on an individual’s health.

Detailed data of this kind and scale has not previously been available, and could help to inform future policies relating to the working environment.

Along with the health and lifestyle information you have already provided, this project puts UK Biobank in a unique position, to allow researchers to begin to understand the role an individuals working life plays in their health.

Participants are now being contacted via email and are being asked to provide information on their job history. This will continue throughout the year, so please do not worry if you haven’t received an invitation as yet, we will be contacting all participants in due course.

For participants that have received an invitation, the survey is quick and easy to undertake. Please get in touch with the Participant Resource Centre if you have any questions on 0800 0 276 276 (free from most UK phones) 8am-6pm Monday-Friday and 8am-4pm on Saturday.

Read more about current projects underway, including the analysis of genetic materials from all 500,000 participants, and the establishment of a scanning project to image up to 100,000 participants, in our 2015 Newsletter.